Starblaze's Journey
by dragons790
Summary: One day, a normal twoleg named Star has a strange dream. All of a sudden, she gets plunged into a battle in a Clan of wild cats, with Star being the only one who can save them from the shadows. But will she be able to? A fanfic about light and darkness being not so separate. Rated T to be safe for the later chapters.
1. Starlit

**Hi! This is my first story, so please don't be too hard on me, okay? :D I worked reaaaaaaallllllyy hard on it.**

**Allegiances**

**Leader:**

Rainbowstar- pure white she-cat with rainbow-colored speckles and splashes in her fur and blue eyes, apprentice Starpaw

**Deputy:**

Tigerfang- dark tabby tom

**Medicine Cat:**

Rainleaf- gray tabby with green eyes

**Warriors:**

Flameheart- bright ginger tom with sunlight-amber eyes

Lionclaw- golden tom

Grayback- gray she-cat

Thorntooth- brown tom with green eyes, apprentice Mousepaw

Deerspots- brown she-cat with white speckles on her back, apprentice Creampaw

**Apprentices:**

Creampaw- pale cream she-cat

Mousepaw- brown tabby

Starpaw- beautiful silver-white she-cat with long, sleek fur with thin, curved lines in her pelt like highlights and a tail split into two tips. Has intelligent purple eyes. She has two magical gems- one embedded in her forehead, and another in a necklace.

**Queens:**

Frostshine- pretty white queen with blue eyes

Larkwhisker- silver tabby queen with sweet, gentle features and pale blue eyes

**Cats Outside Clans:**

Scourge- black tom with icy blue eyes

Dusk- dark gray she-cat with green collar

Sand- dusty ginger tom with orange collar

Ash- ugly gray-brown she-cat with brown eyes

Pointer- tan tabby tom, good hunter.

There once was a girl named Star. She was lived with her aunt and uncle and sister, Moon, because her real parents had disappeared into the forest when she was seven. Star had learned to hunt from her parents- she knew where all the secret pathways of the forests were, where the good prey was, and how to communicate with the forest's resident animals, so she could survive on her own. But she still lived with her aunt and her uncle because her sister, Moon, was trapped in their house by them, forced to do every little task they wanted.

One night she had a strange dream. She was in a forest clearing, with shining fireflies and soft green grass all around her. Suddenly, a mysterious breeze blew across the grass, and a silver cat formed out of the wind! The cat smiled when he saw her, and whispered,

"_The star that shines brighter than any other will go to DarkClan and be the light that defends the Clan from mad power._"

The cat pressed his nose to her forehead, murmuring, "I have a gift for you." Then she woke up.

Startled by her dream, Star looked into the mirror. And gasped. On her forehead, precisely where the cat had touched her, was a gleaming jewel that reflected every color! In the light, it glimmered pink, scarlet, orange, yellow, emerald, cerulean, and a deep violet the color of her eyes. Also, around her neck was a lovely necklace, made of a thin chain of glinting and gleaming silver attached to a beautiful, iridescent gemstone that felt warm to the touch.

That afternoon, she was hunting in the forest to bring back some meat so she and Moon could have something to eat since her step parents never gave them any food. Suddenly, she heard a rustling noise. Quickly, she climbed up a tree, and spotted four cats hunting. There was a light gray one with pale blue eyes, a golden colored tabby with fierce amber eyes, a bright, fiery red tom with sunset-orange eyes, and a dark tabby. The cats were all talking. Star smiled. She was friends all the forest creatures, including the wild cats. They were such good friends, the cats frequently brought her meat. So Star climbed down the tree and greeted them with a cheerful, "Hello!."

"A twoleg that can talk!" the gray cat gasped. The cats glanced at each other, wonder sparkling in their eyes.

"We should take you to Rainbowstar," the gray cat said. Star nodded, excited, and the cats led her deep into the forest.

**Yay, chapter 1 is up! :D :D :D **

**-dragons790**


	2. Dawn

Along the way to the camp, she got to know the cats. The fire-orange tom with bright orange eyes, filled with knowledge and understanding, was named Flameheart. He was very excited to meet her. He was really nice and sweet and funny.

The big golden tom was Lionclaw, the gray one was Grayback, and the dark tabby as Tigerfang. Tigerfang, unlike Flameheart, was silent, and glared at her. Once, he even spat at her when she tripped, muttering something about clumsy twolegs while the kind Flameheart helped her up. "Oh, don't listen to him," he joked, "Tigerfang's been a deputy for a few moons, and now he's as grumpy as the elders."

Soon, they reached the camp. There, Star met Rainbowstar, who was standing on the tall rock in the middle of the camp. Rainbowstar was a white she-cat with blue eyes and red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple splotches and speckles in her fur. She called, "Let all cats old enough to hunt gather beneath the Skyrock!" and cats in all shapes and colors came out from all around her. The space under the rock was soon filled.

Suddenly, the warm sunlight of midday seemed to grow brighter. Star felt the warmth from the necklace intensify, as a multi-colored light poured from it. The clearing was blinded by brightness as something incredible began to happen. The cats around her watched, gasped, and fell silent.

All of a sudden, the light stopped. Star felt... different. She looked down at herself and gasped. Long, elegant, bright silver-white fur covered her from head to toe, shimmering softly midnight blue. Periwinkle, teal, aqua, gold, and lime shone through thin lines in her pelt, like highlights. A long, proud tail curled behind her, laced with gleaming golden-colored lines. It split into two tips, like a nekomata's. She had become a beautiful, sleek but slender cat!

Star padded over to a nearby puddle and gazed at her reflection. Staring back at her were bright purple eyes, deep with emotion and knowledge, laden with bright stars of blue, silver and gold. The jewel embedded in her forehead glowed softly the purple of her eyes, and Star's necklace was brighter and more beautiful than before, shining with multiple colors.

She could smell everything. All the different cat scents in the camp spoke to her, and beyond that, she smelled the scents of voles and rabbits and birds. She could hear really far, of all the mice scurrying underground, and the robin's song twittering in the forest. Star got up and stretched in the sunlight, sending a kaleidoscope of colors through the air. Every cat around watched her with delight at her beauty. Flameheart ran up to her and murmured in a quiet voice that felt full of... something, "oh, Star! You look beautiful!"

Rainbowstar looked stunned before proclaiming. "This Twoleg has been blessed by StarClan!" The cats cheered! "We must accept her into our Clan. StarClan's wishes rule over all." Rainbowstar crouched down, ready to leap from the rock and greet her.

**Chapter 2 is up! Please review, I haven't got any yet! :D**


	3. Morning

**Thanks Guest for posting a review! The story should slow down a little now, I was trying to get everything set up in the beginning, so yeah. ^-^**

**Also, I added allegiances to the first chapter if anyone wants a look. **

"Wait!" The cats gasped, and the crowd parted. Star narrowed her eyes as she spotted Tigerfang. He spat at her, "She may have been touched by StarClan, but she's still no warrior! She's as small and as skinny as a kit! She'll be dead in a day, whether it's by thorns or by claws!"

Star watched him calmly and coolly, thinking. "I might have been a Twoleg," she said, choosing her words carefully, "but I am not weak! I hunt in this forest every day. I can climb trees and I have caught hundreds of deer! I can beat a mouse-brain like you any day!"

"Oh really, well then let's see if that's true!" Tigerfang launched himself at her, paws outstretched, long, hooked claws glinting in the sunlight. Star watched the deputy carefully, noting how as he leaped, one side was clumsily lowered. She sidestepped his leap easily, and he fell clumsily onto the ground, twisting one of his paws and yowling in pain. She clawed him fiercely with her razor-sharp golden claws, piercing through shadowy fur like it was butter. Tigerfang twisted, trying to snap his teeth into Star's side. Star gracefully dodged him and flanked him, slicing his side. Tigerfang shakily got up, before growling and trying to lunge at her again.

Same old tricks, she thought, easy!

Star leaped high above him, causing Tigerfang to look upwards in confusion. She landed on his back, and pushed him to the ground. Tigerfang screeched and tried to squash her under his body as he flipped over. Star leaped off, as quick as lightning, and slashed his exposed belly. Tigerfang bolted up, yowling in defeat, and ran Clan gasped! There were wild cheers of amazement. Even Rainbowstar looked stunned! "From all my years as a leader, I never have seen a cat so powerful and coordinated as you!" she said, "I have come to a decision. If you would like, you may join our Clan as an apprentice. Would you?"

Star knew exactly what she wanted to say. It was so obvious! "Of course I will!" she exclaimed.

"Great!" Rainbowstar meowed. She began to speak loudly again, "Cats of DarkClan, this newcomer has decided to join us as a Clanmate. She will be joining us as an apprentice. And I will mentor her."

Every cat, except for Tigerfang, cheered!

"Also," Rainbowstar continued, "because of his reckless and hostile actions, Tigerfang will be suspended from his deputy duties for three moons." Rainbowstar set her blue gaze onto him. "You must learn that every warrior must show acceptance and respect.

So you will be helping out in the nursery. Perhaps that will teach you to be kinder!"

The deputy's eyes widened in outrage. He began to speak, but Starpaw cut in. "Rainbowstar, maybe three moons is too much. How about just one moon?"

Rainbowstar looked at her, and sighed with affection. "Very well," she said, "Tigerfang, due to the forgiving nature of Starpaw, you only have to serve for one moon." She then turned to Starpaw and said, "Our training will begin tomorrow, at dawn."

Tigerfang hissed ungratefully at her, and still looked incredibly angry. The deputy spat and stalked off to the nursery. Starpaw watched his retreating form, hoping that something would change him to become a kinder cat.

**Thanks to every one of my readers so far! I know my chapters are kind of short right now, I'll try to post longer!**


	4. Sunhigh

Starpaw heard the soft sound of paws hitting the ground, and turned. Flameheart and two small apprentices, one a brown tabby, and the other a pale cream, smiled back at her. "That was amazing!" they said. "Can you show us your moves? They were so cool!"

Starpaw smiled. "Of course I can show you. It's a good thing Tigerfang will be serving the kits for a while. I hate bullies," she said, remembering her aunt and uncle. The apprentices led her to a sandy area, and watched as she performed twist after kick after claw. Slowly, the apprentices began to tire, and went back to their dens to rest. But Flameheart stayed. He watched her with warm, clear amber eyes, full of affection and joy. Starpaw finished one last battle move, and Flameheart stood up. Shyly, he walked up to her.

They looked into each other's eyes, Flameheart's warm, kind amber eyes into her multicolored ones. He asked softly, "Hey... Starpaw... would you like to come watch the sunset with me?"

She responded with joy, "Of course!"

They walked to the edge of DarkClan's territory, a grassy cliff that overlooked a gleaming blue ocean. Starpaw looked at Flameheart, noticing his long, luxurious, flame-red fur, and the lean, hard muscle beneath it. His orange eyes were shining and bright, unclouded by a single speck of dust. They reached the edge of the cliff and watched the setting sun together. The sun left a brilliant reflection of fiery red light on the surface of the water, streaked by paths of orange and yellow. It looked to Starpaw as if there was a path from her through the water to the sun.

The two cats snuggled up to each other as the last traces of flame-light faded into shiny stars, bits of light in the cold, dark sky.

The day passed quickly.

The next morning, Starpaw woke up a little before dawn. Flameheart was already awake, and he purred softly as he saw her. Starpaw purred back and they walked through the forest back to camp.

She arrived just as dawn's light shone into the camp. Rainbowstar came out of her den and padded down to her. She smiled at Starpaw. "Just on time, that's good."

Starpaw smiled back. She asked, "Are we going to start training now?"

Rainbowstar replied, "Yes. Today we're going into the forest to hunt."

The apprentice and mentor padded out of camp into a forest clearing. "Now," Rainbowstar told her, "I'm going to show you how to stalk prey. First, you need to get into a hunter's crouch, like this-" Rainbowstar entered a crouch, her legs tucked under her chest"- and then you need to stalk forward like this." The leader sneaked forward, all four legs moving fluently and silently through the undergrowth. "And when you see prey-" She angled her ears towards a mouse, chewing on a nut, "you leap!" Rainbowstar pounced onto the mouse and quickly killed it with her paw. She picked it up, and started back towards the camp. As she did, she told Starpaw, "I'm going back to camp now to attend to my duties. Try and catch something!"

Starpaw nodded. She sniffed the air and caught the scent of a rabbit. The apprentice followed the trail until she spotted the white fur of a hare, which was chewing on a carrot. Starpaw remembered what Rainbowstar taught her, and stalked up silently on the prey. She was just about to leap when the rabbit's snowy ears suddenly pricked up. It looked around nercously, ready to flee.

No! Starpaw thought. She pounced before it could move and killed it quickly. Smiling proudly, she stood up and went off to find more prey.

By the end of the day, she had caught four mice, the rabbit, and three shrews. She carried them back to camp and dropped them into the fresh-kill pile. The pile was immense, with at least twenty pieces of prey. Starpaw picked out a fat crow and bit into it. The taste was delicious! It was wild and forestry, but still delicate and sumptuous. Soon, she had devoured the whole thing.

"Hey! You must be the new apprentice!" Starpaw turned to see two apprentices, different from the ones she had met before. One had a snowy pelt and lake-blue eyes, and the other had a tortoiseshell pelt and green eyes. The white one smiled and told her, "I'm Lakepaw. And this my friend, Snakepaw."

Starpaw replied, "Cool, I'm Starpaw. Nice to meet you!"

Snakepaw snorted, "So you're the new twoleg warrior, eh? Well how was it like being a nasty old twoleg?"

Lakepaw nudged Snakepaw with her paw and scolded him, "Don't be so rude! Even if twolegs are kind of weird, I'm sure not all of you are nasty."

Starpaw smiled. Apprentices! "Oh, I'm not nasty at all. In fact, I'm really nice!"

"See? I told you! Well, anyways, the Apprentices' Den is this way. We made your nest for you already," Lakepaw told her. Starpaw cheerily thanked her and the apprentices headed towards their dens to get a good nights' sleep.

Over the next few days, Starblaze excelled at hunting and fighting. She caught the most prey out of the apprentices, and won the most in their practice skirmishes. One day, she was out hunting. After a whole day, she had caught a par of squirrels, countless tiny mice, and even a small brown deer! She was dragging her prey back to camp when she heard a screech.

"My kits! They're gone!"

Starpaw dropped her prey and dashed inside. Frostshine, a blue-eyed queen, was sobbing. Larkwhisker, the silver tabby who had sweet features and a sleek body, was trying desperately to console her.

"A fox must have taken them!" Frostshine screamed.

"A fox couldn't have got in," Starpaw told her, "the brambles are much too thick and sharp."

The hysterical queens nodded, grateful for Starpaw's thoughtful comment.

Starpaw continued, "It must have been someone inside the camp!"

Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. "Have any of you seen Tigerfang?"

The queens glanced at each other before Larkwhisker spoke up, "We left the den to get some prey, and that's when our kits disappeared, as well as Tigerfang!"

Rainbowstar, who was watching the exchange, suddenly talked. "Starpaw, you have shown yourself to be a strong apprentice. Will you go bring back Tigerfang?"

"Of course I will!" she said. Starpaw turned and dove out of the gorse entrance of the camp. She looked around for any traces of Tigerfang. She noticed tufts of tabby fur scattered on the brambles, all that smelled of the deputy. Starpaw followed the trail through countless clearings and trees. Suddenly, she spotted him!

The deputy was standing next to a hole in the ground, dangling three kits by their scruffs over it. He muttered quietly, "Come on, come on!"

Starpaw sneaked up behind him, paws gently touching the ground, and leaped! She hit him in the back, buckling him forward. She unsheathed her claws and slashed through his thin, patchy fur. Tigerfang yowled before turning and clawing at her face. Starpaw took the swipe without a word and struck back at his ears, tearing through the delicate flesh.

Suddenly a rumbling noise emanated from the hole. Starpaw stopped attacking Tigerfang for half a second to see what was happening, and Tigerfang took that chance to sink his teeth into her shoulder. Starpaw winced at his sharp teeth, but continued sunk her claws deep into his pelt to avoid sliding off and bit at him. Tigerfang tried to claw her off, but it was useless against her tight grip. Wildly, he ran around trying to throw her off.

All of a sudden, the growling stopped, and an enormous badger stomped out of the hole! It lunged at the kits, crushing them under its ferocious weight.

"NOOOO!" Starpaw screamed. She swiftly leaped off of Tigerfang onto the badger's back and clawed its neck. Tigerfang fled cowardly at the sight of it, leaving his Clanmates to fight off the raging badger.

The badger roared angrily and tried to raze Starpaw with its claws, but she leaped out of the way again kicked a powerful hindleg at its face. The badger moaned, but wrenched its head behind its back and sunk its teeth into Starpaw's leg.

Starpaw screeched. The pain was excruciating! But she dug her claws in and swiped her paw at the badger's forehead, causing a long stream of blood to leak into its eyes. The badger thrashed around blindly as blood covered its vision. Starpaw slashed it again and again, across its back and along its sides until it gave up and rushed back into its den. Starpaw stood, panting. She had won! She beat a badger! Proudly, she returned to camp.

The cats cheered when she burst into the camp. They had all heard the results her battle against the badger and Tigerfang. Rainbowstar leaped onto the Skyrock and shouted, "Today, due to the actions of a particularly brave and skilled cat, a new warrior will be made!" Starpaw listened, awed. Rainbowstar couldn't be talking of her, could she?

"Starpaw has tracked down the traitor Tigerfang and defeated a badger that threatened DarkClan. She will now be made a warrior!"

Starblaze gasped.

"I, Rainbowstar, leader of DarkClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Starpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Starpaw smiled. "Of course I do!"

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Starpaw, from this moment you will be known as Starblaze. StarClan honors your strength, intelligence, agility, cleverness, virtue, kindness, and loyalty. We welcome you as a full warrior of DarkClan.

Starblaze felt the praises of DarkClan warm her pelt, but remained modest and took them in proudly, not showing off. The crowd cheered so loud the forest shook!

**Whew! Extra long chapter for you guys. :)**


	5. Afternoon

One stormy day, Rainleaf, DarkClan's medicine cat, beckoned to her with his tail. Starblaze approached, curious. Rainleaf glanced around furtively, and whispered, "Have you noticed the amount of ill cats around the Clan recently?"

Starblaze nodded. "Of course I have. Thorntooth was coughing this morning, and Deerspots looked a bit green."

Rainleaf glanced at her, impressed. "Yes," he said, "They have greencough."

Starblaze gasped! As a twoleg, she had helped the village doctor with his work, and had learned about the deadly greencough, as well as many other diseases and their herbal treatments.

***FLASHBACK***

She stood in a snowy field, desperately digging with her bare hands, feeling for the soft, furry texture of catmint leaves. Half the village, including her sister Moon, were sick with greencough, the deadly disease that had plagued the lands in the middle of winter. She recognized it when she first saw the patients- sickly green colored, and coughing up their pain. She also knew that the treatment- catmint- was exceedingly rare. And so she was searching the snow for the precious herb.

After a few minutes of searching, Star realized that her efforts were useless. She closed her eyes and lowered her head in defeat, when she felt something. Something in her that said there was catmint here. She just had to search a little more...

Star moved in a dreamlike state, feeling nothing and hearing nothing. Her feet moved on their own accord, traveling towards a seemingly nonexistent destination. Slowly, she bent down, and began to dig with her eyes closed, until she touched something soft. Star opened her eyes, and gasped! Right below her hands was a shrub of catmint, enormous and delicious-smelling. She pulled it out by the roots. There was enough to cure the whole village! Holding her precious cargo under her thick, fur-lined jacket, she was beginning to trek back home, when she saw the hare.

It was an enormous white specimen, barely visible to anyone except for Star's keen vision. It was right next to her, only a few steps off. She picked up a sharp gray stone and sneaked softly towards it. Then she lunged forward, but the hare began to dash off. Star chased after it, easily overtaking it with her long, slender legs, and stabbed it in the neck. Smiling, she returned to the village, confident and hopeful, with herbs and food.

***END FLASHBACK***

"We need catmint, fast!" she shouted, "I promise I'll find some!" Rainleaf nodded and replied, "Thank you. I asked you because I knew you were strong, fast, and dependable." He melted back into his den. Starblaze ran off into the rain-soaked forest.

She sniffed around for the catmint, hoping and wishing as she searched through the dewy undergrowth. All of a sudden, the strange feeling took hold of her. There was something useful in the brush... but this time it was different. An inherent tinge of blood filled her, shockingly dark. Ahead of her was someone with intentions to kill… and yet, there was something hopeful too. Starblaze walked forward slowly, waiting, knowing.

A ear-splitting screech suddenly split the air, and a shadow hurtled towards her. Starblaze turned faster than felinely possible and slashed her attacker in the face. He yowled and fell onto the damp forest soil, wriggling pathetically in a useless attempt to fight back. Starblaze angrily stalked up to him, and gasped. It was Tigerfang! And right next to him was an entire pile of freshly-picked catmint!

Tigerfang growled and his eyes suddenly flashed red. The downpour grew heavier and lightning flashed. Sickly purple tendrils of darkness twisted outwards from his paws and wrapped around the herbs. Starblaze watched in horrified amazement as the catmint withered into dead, black shoots. The traitor deputy threw his head back and laughed, "Muahahaha! Now DarkClan will have no protection from greencough!"

Starblaze was enraged. "How did you become so cruel as to want to destroy helpless kits and elders?" she shouted. Tigerfang smiled meanly, but said nothing. He leaped away from her, shadow tendrils trailing by his paws, and ran away into the undergrowth.

"No!" Starblaze screamed, chasing after him. Branches tore at her face as she raced through the forest, but she didn't slow down. All that mattered now was getting Tigerfang, for the lives he had doomed, for the misery he would cause. His retreating form flickered in front of her and she followed, bursting into an open clearing, the-

_DarkClan camp_

A shudder ran through her pelt. Her paws flew across the ground, each stride going two feet.

But she was too late.

Tigerfang stood in the middle of the camp, grinning insanely, shadows crackling and hissing around his feet. He stood over a flame-colored tom, whose now-dulled eyes were once clear and as bright as the sun.

She stood, stunned, as Tigerfang escaped.

The Clan watched her in a haze of gray, individual cats melted into the driving rain. She padded up to Flameheart and sunk her muzzle into his rapidly cooling fur, breathing in the last traces of his scent. All of DarkClan yowled in despair at the sight of the forever-separated lovers, creating a cacophony with the sound of rain pounding on stone. Tears fell, unresisted, with the rain.

Suddenly the stormclouds broke and a spiraling ray of light fell upon Starblaze and Flameheart. A quick gale swept past the clan, and a silver cat was formed from the wind. It was the cat from her dream! He smiled kindly and gently when he saw her. The cat touched his nose to her forehead gem, murmuring, "I see you are in great turmoil right now, Starblaze. Do not give up hope, for hope- light- is the tool of the good and the kind. As his nose touched her, her gem flashed a million different colors, blinding the forest in light. Starblaze felt new, boundless light touch her soul, and she manifested it into creation.

Somewhere in the dark shadows, Tigerfang shrieked as light washed over him. He gathered his shadows closer around himself, but the light separated and fragmented them. Still, he resisted and the darkness inside him grew deeper.

In the brilliant light, Starblaze felt growing, sprouting from her shoulders. Something unearthly, something beautiful. All of a sudden, the light stopped and Starblaze felt a breeze stir the something on her back. She turned. On her back was a pair of large, feathery wings, pure white and gleaming in the beautiful daylight. Starblaze flapped them experimentally and rose up into the air. Laughing joyfully, she winged her way around camp, testing out her new, wonderful wings. The silver cat watched her happily, delighted that he had been able to help bring joy back to Starblaze.

But all of a sudden, Starblaze remembered about Flameheart. She landed in front of the silver cat and looked at him, grief and sadness in her eyes. He was so touched by her feelings that he started crying. "I'm sorry, Starblaze. Not even me, Silverstar, the great leader of StarClan, can bring back the dead. But, I can show him to you one more time if you would like."

Starblaze nodded before Silverstar finished talking. "Yes. Even if its just one more time, I still want to see him."

"Very well," was the reply. A sudden flame crackled in the center of the clearing, burning away to reveal none other than Flameheart! Starblaze padded into his strong, comforting embrace and they stood together.

"Stay strong, my love," Flameheart whispered into her ear.

"I will, always," she promised him.

All of a sudden, the two StarClan cats began to fade away. Silverstar whispered to her before he left, "Use these powers you have been granted wisely, Starblaze. Use them to save DarkClan from mad powe..." His voice faded away with the wind.

Starblaze raised her head to the newly-cleared sky. She spoke clearly and loudly, so all the cats could hear. "StarClan has granted me a new life, a new power, and now a new pair of wings. I will use these gifts to rid DarkClan of the evil that has plagued us for so long. The darkness will never rule over us, for light is the true ruler." And with that, she leaped into the air, searching for any sign of Tigerfang.

**And another long one! Again, please review!**


	6. Evening

**storm-eyes-osprey- Thanks!**

In the dead of night, Starblaze was following a trail. The footprints were fresh, with no sign of the creator even trying to hide them. She glided along the path, sure she was going to catch him this time and bring him to justice for all the crimes he committed.

The trail was leading out of DarkClan territory, into a vast area of Twolegplace, one she had never seen before. But her acute sense of direction never failed her, and even when she had to track him over stone, she never lost his trail.

Inside the Twolegplace, it was dark and foreboding, more so with night. Tall buildings loomed over her, dark and distant and gray. But Star was not unnerved, in fact, she felt confident and powerful as she stepped through twisting gray alleyways.

After a few minutes, she reached a gap in the buildings, with only one exit- back the way she came from. Tigerfang would be trapped here! Starblaze eagerly searched the dead end for him, but then she noticed something. The deputy''s scent doubled backwards! He wasn't in the clearing, but he was a few minutes ago. She was turning to leave when she heard a voice, as cold as ice and as sharp as a knife.

"Stop."

Starblaze turned. A black cat with one white paw stood on the roof of one of the buildings that formed the dead end. Around his neck was a blood-red collar, with long dog's teeth poking out of it. His eyes were as cold as his voice- fierce, frozen ice as beautiful as it was lethal. The cat jumped down from the rock and landed less than a whisker away from her. His eyes traveled down the length of her body, from her softly glowing gemstone to her luxurious angel wings. He growled, a gentle sound that seemed more like a purr than a growl of anger, "You are beautiful."

Starblaze looked back at him. His body was lithe and thin, his fur silky night. She felt so attracted to this wonderful, mysterious stranger, but forced herself to hold it in. But his eyes... they were so alluring, deep and crystalline and glinting so bright against his fur. He watched her with the same intensity, and he asked, "What is your name?"

"Starblaze."

"And I am Scourge," he said. "You are a very beautiful cat," he repeated, "Would you like to see my domain? I rule over Twolegplace- it is my home, and it is my kingdom."

Starblaze hastily agreed, not being able to take her eyes off of this gorgeous Scourge. He helped her climb onto the roof with him. "From here, you can see all of my lands," he told her, "From the edge of the forest to the mountains where Twolegplace ends, this is all mine." The view was incredible. Rows of roofs stood tall for as far as the eye could see, and then some. They were lit up in the night with lights, bright and welcoming. A light breeze played across it, ruffling the cats' fur. Starblaze took a deep breath of the fresh air. It was so wonderful here!

Suddenly, a pair of cats burst into the clearing. One was a dark gray tabby she-cat with a green collar full of dog teeth, the other was a dusty ginger tom, with an orange collar.

They were holding a third cat between them, a ugly ash-colored she-cat with eyes the color of dirt. "Leader Scourge," they chorused together, "We found this cat stealing food from the Prey Storagehouse." Scourge's eyes narrowed into chips of ice. "Why were you stealing my prey?" he asked the ash-colored cat, his voice dangerously low.

The she-cat merely spat at the ground.

Scourge growled menacingly, but she didn't respond. "Kill her," he told the two guards. They nodded and unsheathed their claws.

"Wait!" Starblaze shouted. All the cats turned to her. Starblaze abhorred killing unless when it was absolutely necessary. And this Scourge… however wonderful he was, if he killed cats just for stealing… then she would just have to stop him from killing again, then!

"If you kill her," Starblaze chose her words carefully, "then I'll leave you forever." She never planned to do such a thing, but sometimes such threats were necessary. Scourge's eyes widened.

"No," he whispered. He hastily turned to the guards and said, "Spare her." They nodded and dragged the cat away. Scourge turned back to her and said, "Starblaze. Please, never leave me. I know I have only met you for a few hours now, but..."

Scourge stared into her eyes, "I love you."

Starblaze gasped for the fifth time that day. But it wasn't a complete gasp. She knew that in her heart, she loved him too. And so what better time would there be to say,

"I love you, too."

Scourge's eyes softened. He padded up to her and rested his head on her shoulder. Together, they watched the sun rise. But all too soon, it was time for Starblaze to leave.

Scourge pleaded for her to stay, but she knew she couldn't. "I have to stop Tigerfang," she told him, "My Clan will be vulnerable without me."

"Then let me come with you," he replied, "Please. We could rule over the lands together, with your forest and my Twolegplace."

"Yes, together," Starblaze agreed. Scourge led her over the roofs of Twolegplace. Starblaze marveled at his memory of the route- his sense of direction was so fluent, he never stopped to think about where he was going!

Soon they reached a large building, built of brick. When they walked inside, Starblaze gasped. It was a room full of prey! Dead mice lined the ground, squirrels sat on the shelves, rabbits hung from the ceiling. Scourge smiled at her reaction. "This is my storage," he told her, "Every cat in Twolegplace pays tribute to me in the form of prey. In return, I grant them protection." He climbed to the top of the building easily with his long, reinforced claws, and cut down a plump, delicious-looking thrush. Holding the prey by its tail feathers, he climbed back down and placed the bird in front of her. Starblaze sunk her teeth into the prey. Immediately, delicious tastes assailed her tongue, of the cool, fresh morning and wild meat. She took another bite of the bird before offering some to Scourge.

"No, thank you. Pointer always brought me prey free of Twoleg-tainted flavors, but personally, I think its a little too gamey," he replied, smiling gently. Starblaze nodded and finished the rest of the bird. It wasn't hard, the thrush was delectable.

They continued out of Twolegplace and into the forest, chatting all along the way. Starblaze learned about Scourge's past. He was born a house cat, but he was the runt of the litter. His siblings bullied him all the time, and his mom did nothing to help. So he ran away from the Twolegs and defeated a dog in the alleyways, winning the respect of many Twolegplace cats. Slowly, Scourge convinced more and more cats to join his growing clan, until he controlled all of Twolegplace. But, as the sole ruler of the land, he was lonely. Until Starblaze came, and he was entranced by her beauty.

Starblaze listened to his tale sadly, nodding gently as he spoke. "I hope you know love you, Scourge," she told him. She felt confident she could change this cat's abused, depressed soul to good with the power of love.

"I do too," he murmured back. They continued out of Twolegplace into the forest.

They heard the screams long before they reached DarkClan's camp.

When Starblaze heard them, she flew. A pounding headache drove at her mind, and a voice told her that there was evil, there was darkness, up ahead, darkness that she had to stop. Scourge dashed after her, not far behind.

When they reached the entrance of the camp, the first thing Starblaze noticed quiet sobbing in the bushes, clear to her acute ears. She pushed aside the bushes, revealing Frostshine. The white cat formed barely coherent words when she saw her, babbling in grief-filled agony. "Tig-tigerfang... h-h-he killed... Rainbowstar!"

Starblaze gasped! She dove through the walls of the camp, ignoring the brambles that tore at her fur. The scene burst out to her eyes in a gruesome painting of death. Rainbowstar lay crumpled in a heap, and several other warriors littered the ground in piles of gray, golden, white fur and blood. Tigerfang was towering over a silver tabby, his teeth long and fortified with horrible shadows.

She lunged at him, claws outstretched. But Starblaze's legs didn't comply with her thoughts, and she was too slow, too helpless to do anything but to watch Larkwhisker's throat being torn out by unnatural teeth. As her bloodied body sunk to the ground, Tigerfang turned to her. His voice was hissing and cruel, like a snake, and while he spoke, shadows pulsed around him. "So, Starblaze, you've finally decided to show up. But why are you so late? It's almost over already."

Starblaze growled back, "You killed Rainbowstar, you killed my Clanmates! Leave now, or I will kill you in the name of justice."

Tigerfang smiled back, his eyes crazed with blood. "Very well, Starblaze. But I will be back!" He turned and bounded away.

The cloying scent of blood and death stained the camp. Starblaze was sickened by the gore. Her legs shook underneath her. Scourge pressed against her side. "You should rest, my dear," he counseled.

"Yes," Starblaze replied. Her mind felt dulled from grief, and she let Scourge lead her to the Warriors' Den. She sunk into a nest of soft moss and closed her eyes. The last thing Starblaze saw was Scourge, his icy blue eyes sharp against his pelt of night, before falling asleep.


	7. Nightfall

**So sorry for not updating for over a week!**

She awoke in a dream land.

Starblaze stood on a cliff overlooking an enormous valley. Fierce gales howled around her, throwing up pebbles and charging at the ground. All of a sudden, they converged at a single spot in front of her, forming a gray cat with ruffled, unkempt fur and bloodshot eyes. Starblaze sighed in relief, "Silverstar, thank StarClan you're here! Tigerfang killed Rainbowstar and a bunch of other warriors and he's going to attack us again and I know I need to kill him but I don't know if I have enough power-"

She was cut off by the sound of bitter laughter. Silverstar chuckled, "Oh, Starblaze. You never really knew, did you?"

Starblaze was confused. "What do you mean?"

"Starblaze, Starblaze. Did you know that every light has a shadow? No matter how high a flame grows, it cannot outrun the darkness it casts. Everything that is yours took light. But with this focused light I have created you with, there must be darkness to balance it. And there are. In Tigerfang, a cat who was once light, until a brighter star outshined him and casted her shadow over him. So he turned to the new power in darkness, and chased after his own dreams with powers created from them. But the path from light to dark had changed him, and now he chases after new dreams, ones that are nightmares to other cats."

"But you, Starblaze. I gave you a prophecy, and the light power to fulfill it. And you called on that great power not to save DarkClan, but to give yourself the appearance you desired, the popularity you desired, and wings you desired." Silverstar dissipated back into wind, his voice full of anger and regret.

And when Starblaze awoke, nothing had changed.

It was like she had never slept. Her head ached, and she trembled uncontrollably. Starblaze steadied her nerves and stood up. Scourge slipped into the den. "How are you, my love?" he asked.

"I need to save DarkClan from Tigerfang," she meowed, "I need to rally the cats."

Scourge nodded, "Of course."

Starblaze exited the Warriors Den, Scourge by her side. They climbed up onto the high peak of the Skyrock and looked upon the ruined camp. Starblaze proclaimed, "Let all cats old enough to hunt gather beneath the Skyrock!"

A handful of cats emerged from their dens. Among them, Starblaze recognized Frostshine and Rainleaf, DarkClan's medicine cat. Starblaze took a deep breath and began to speak.

"Tigerfang, once our deputy, has turned traitor and murdered Rainbowstar and countless other good DarkClan cats. I need to bring him to justice for his crimes. But, I can't do it alone. He has grown much stronger by dark means. But, together, we can drive back his mad power. Together we can live in the goodly power of light. Together, we can become BlazeClan, where no darkness can overcome our blazing light. Now who's with me?!" Starblaze smiled out to the crowd, waiting for the enormous cheers like when she became a warrior and defeated the badger.

But none came. The cats just stared back with empty eyes.

The silence was broken by harsh laughter, not unlike Silverstar's. The cats parted to reveal Rainleaf. He looked up at her with cold green eyes and chuckled, "So, the great Starblaze accuses Tigerfang of killing innocent cats after she did so herself, and now she wants to rename DarkClan after her own name?" He threw his head back and laughed.

"What do you mean?" Starblaze demanded.

"What do you mean? Have you forgotten Thorntooth and Deerspots, the two cats who were sick with greencough? You promised to find catmint for them, but you ended up finding Tigerfang instead. Even after that, you didn't see if any of the catmint was left. No, you just went on a wild goose chase after Tigerfang without thinking about the consequences!"

"But-"

"And did you know that Thorntooth and Deerspots died? They passed when I had to go search for catmint to save their lives. And you know what? I did find catmint. Right under a pile of withered, black shoots where a battle had taken place between you and Tigerfang. If you had just examined the catmint that Tigerfang supposedly destroyed, you would have found the cure to Thorntooth's and Deerspots's deaths."

Rainleaf turned away, his eyes narrowed in grief and anger. The other cats stared in horrified disbelief. They turned to Starblaze, hoping, wishing.

Starblaze tried to speak, but no words came out. Her legs began to tremble again, and this time when she tried to stop them, they didn't. Hoarsely, she croaked, "That is but one mistake. If I didn't try to stop Tigerfang then, he-"

She was cut off again, this time by Frostshine. The white queen glared at her, hackles risen. "Just one?" she screeched, "Don't you remember how you left my kits to die from that badger? You were too busy squabbling with Tigerfang to even try to save them! And now you are too late to save the rest of DarkClan, too."

Now all of BlazeClan was arguing amongst themselves. Starblaze heard their dark words and felt pressure pushing on her mind from all sides, squeezing and crushing her brain. She shut her eyes and wanted to scream in pain, but she knew she had to do something to get the Clan back together. Scourge pressed encouragingly against her side, whispering into her ear, "You can do it, Starblaze. Don't let them get to you. You need to show DarkClan the light, the good."

That's it! I need to show them the light! Starblaze opened her mental connection with Silverstar, searching for any last scraps of light, of power she might have left behind. And in her mind's eye, she saw it. A radiant sphere, small, but concentrated and clear. It was light as pure energy. Quickly. she reached for it, hungrily seeking it to fuel her last wish. First the sphere recoiled from her grasp, but slowly, slowly she drew it in. Right as she touched the sphere, it felt as if something exploded inside her. The oppressive wall against her mind broke apart as radiant energy filled her mind and cleared her soul. When she opened her eyes, they were glowing white. The DarkClan cats stopped fighting and watched her in awe.

She spoke in a powerful voice, elegant and clear. "Look upon me and you will see light! While the night is dark and full of terrors, the blazing stars overhead illuminate it, for light is the true power. Light is the power of creation, and I, with it, will create life!" Starblaze drew on the sphere, molding it with her mind into the shape of a small, furry rodent with long whiskers and a tail. Then she blew the last fragment of her light into its soul. The mouse twitched its whiskers as it came alive, and darted around frantically, trying to look for an escape. An astonished brown she-cat pinned the mouse to the ground with her paw and quickly bit its throat. The mouse squeaked and died.

The rest of the cats watched Starblaze, amazement and dreams filling their eyes. Starblaze smiled down at them. She continued, "But darkness has always oppressed light. Darkness strips away the wonder, stealing it for itself in greed. And that is why I need to stop Tigerfang. He is the dark that is stealing away your Clanmates, your light."

Every BlazeClan cat stared at her. Their awe surpassed their anger at her, their dreams surpassed their want for retribution. They must be on my side now! Starblaze thought, they must be. The adrenaline from the last of the light was leaving her quickly, and the headache and tremors began anew in her, pounding harder than before.

Suddenly, a dark tabby burst into the clearing. The DarkClan cats bristled around him and unsheathed their claws. As her mind clouded, Starblaze smiled. Now DarkClan would defeat Tigerfang and his darkness. She unsheathed her claws as well and bent her legs into a battle crouch.

But Tigerfang wasn't alarmed. He merely smiled and cooed, "The witch has finally shown her powers." Several of the cats stared at him quizzically, which made his smile even broader. "So, you have seen Starblaze's light. Her power. Of course, she must have used these great powers before. And when better than for her adventure through DarkClan? Or as she calls it, BlazeClan. She could create her face, her wings, all the prey she caught, all the straw-cat problems she faced with light. And she did. Why shouldn't she? But that's not all she made."

"Starblaze made you."

The DarkClan cats gasped. "No!" a brown cat exclaimed, "I am me! I'm not just another mouse made from light!"

Tigerfang continued, "But you are. We all are. We were all created from Starblaze's wishes and her light. She gave the most important ones to her powers and faces and personalities. But not us. You are the forgotten ones, the ones not good enough to receive characteristics or pretty pelts. You are here only to cheer and to worship her. Many of you don't even have a name. You don't believe me? Fine, then tell me your name. Say it out loud. Tell the world who you are."

The brown cat spoke loudly. "My name is-" But then she stopped. Her eyes grew as large as moons. "No..." she whispered, "I am not no one. I cannot be no one. I must have a name. I must be someone." Around the clearing, other cats tried and failed too.

In the end, only two cats could name who they were. And together, they stood tall. One was a white queen with blue eyes, and the other was a gray tom with green eyes. "I once was Frostshine," the white cat said. "And I once was Rainleaf," said the other. "We were once close to Starblaze, close enough to earn our names and ranks. We were more than you at one time. But then we learned the truth about the light she created us with. We have seen the shadows that her blazing journey left. And we have chosen to leave the false world she created, to enter the darkness that was always the truth. Now, we are free. Now, we have true names. Now, we have personalities. And they are ours to control."

The white cat closed her eyes. "I am not Frostshine anymore. I was never the gentle cat Starblaze made me. I am Cloudclaw, warrior of DarkClan."

The gray cat did the same. "I am not Rainleaf anymore. I was once forced into the path of a medicine cat. But I now understand that that was never the path I was meant to travel. I am Ashwhisker, warrior of DarkClan."

Starblaze watched in horror. "No! Do not listen to the shadows! They are trying you turn you against BlazeClan!"

The brown cat glared at her. "BlazeClan? Can't you see? We have always been DarkClan, and we always will be. You may have created me, but I see now that you were never cared for any of us. All you ever cared for was your own power, your own dreams."

Starblaze desperately called out, "Wait! I can give you a name! How about... Branchtail?" She shouted the first name she could think of.

The she-cat snorted. "Too late, fox-dung. I have learned the truth, and I won't be content with your meaningless praises again. I am Thurshfeather."

"I am Foxtooth!"

"I am Stormbolt!"

"I am Moonrise!"

The din of every cat naming themselves blotted out any other words Starfire may have had, but that didn't stop Tigerfang. He continued, "The cats who I have killed are all Starblaze's closest creations! They have lost all their independence, up to even their actions being chosen by her! Rainbowstar was one, who'd ever heard of a leader supporting a cat she's never met more than her deputy? Flameheart, a mate she created for herself. He had never picked her- it was his destiny, created by Starblaze, right from the start!

DarkClan yowled in agreement, their voices combining into a symphony.

Unsheathed claws were turned to Starblaze, hissing faces and narrowed eyes aimed at her. Several DarkClan cats- Cloudclaw, Foxtooth, Thrushfeather, Rainleaf- rushed up the Skyrock. She tried to dodge them, but Foxtooth was too fast. Shining like a brand of fire in the sunlight, she ripped one of the wings off of Starblaze's back, and dropped it over the edge of the Skyrock. Starblaze screamed. Head and back in agony, horrible, horrible pain clawing at her insides, burning them away, her legs nearly giving out beneath her, Starblaze stumbled to the edge of the Skyrock. She glanced wildly around for anyone, anything and suddenly spotted Scourge beside her. He was watching her with ice-cold eyes, narrowed and sharp against his shadow fur.

"Together, we will live or die," she said, one last shred of hope giving her energy.

"I'm surprised you haven't succumbed to the poison yet," Scourge said. He charged at her, claws outstretched, and pushed her poison-weakened shell of a body of the edge of the Skyrock.

"No!" Starblaze screamed as she fell, "Silverstar, help me! I still need to defeat the mad power! I need to save DarkClan!" And suddenly, someone did appear in front of her.

It was her sister, Moon. She watched her with cold, dark eyes. Her skin was dashed and sliced, dried blood crusting her wounds. "How could you protect DarkClan when you couldn't even protect me?"

Starblaze stared in shock as the face of her sister faded away. "No… please, Silverstar! Let me stop this! Give me more li-"

Her voice was cut off as she hit the ground.


End file.
